McConaughey doesn't suck? - True Detective review

Today I'm going to shake things up a bit and try my hand at a review. Before I get into that however I'd just like to stop and preface it by saying that I am in no way qualified to truly pass judgement on any kind of art and any criticisms I do make are merely observations and critiques from a guy who has, thus far never completed a single piece of literary work and should be ingested with a fair bit of salt. Literary and cinematic analysis is just a hobby for me, like most media nerds I've just absorbed so much of what I love that at this point that I know what works for me and what doesn't so without further ado let's get into it.

Last night I marathon'd all 3 existing episodes of True Detective, HBO's grimy new crime drama. True detective stars the delightful Woody Harrelson and the previously heinous Matthew McConaughey as two detectives who were involved in some terribly traumatic case. It starts out 10 or so years after the incident itself and the story is told entirely through the memories of the two detectives in some sort of police review of the case. 

Staring past the camera introspectively.

In a world of CSI: EVERYTHINGS and more spins on the crime genre than you can shake a baton at what sets Pizzolotto's work apart is the talent to put it simply.The dialogue is raw, and genuine in such a populated genre that really means something. While the actual mystery of the series is also really compelling the tension is focused more on the characters themselves and how affected they are, not only by the case but the pressures of how you balance being a man, a father, and a detective all at once.

Harrelson and McConaughy embody their characters outstandingly, especially in the post case interview scenes. I don't think I've ever seen Matthew McConaughey act as hard. as he does in this show. Seriously.

So far we have two damaged detectives and a couple of poor prostitutes killed and displayed Hannibal style, antlers and all. I recommend this show to everyone and give it an outstanding out of 10 and will probably continue reviewing individual episodes.

Fans of Hannibal, The Following, The Killing and generally compelling television.